Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Monthly Archives: March 2013

SAPD arrest juvenile suspect from attempted rape on Jan. 20

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santa ana sexual predator suspect

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Police arrest juvenile suspect from January 20th attempted rape

UPDATE: Today, Santa Ana Family Crimes Detectives arrested a 17-year-old male in connection with an attempt rape occurring on January 20th, 2013. After analyzing DNA evidence from items which fell to the ground during the confrontation between the victim’s daughter and the suspect, detectives learned the identity of the suspect’s acquaintance. That acquaintance, also a juvenile, led detectives to the suspect. In the interview with detectives, the juvenile made incriminating statements. Continue reading→

Hugo Godinez, Santa Ana sex offender, convicted for violating probation

Posted on by Posted in Courts, Crime, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Hugo Godinez

Tony Rackauckas, Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 09CM11069, 11CM12772: March 26, 2013

REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER CONVICTED OF SEXUAL BATTERY AND FAILING TO REGISTER SENTENCED TO 197 DAYS IN JAIL FOR PROBATION VIOLATIONS

*Defendant has a pending case in the Courts of Appeal for a conviction for being a sex offender in a County park

SANTA ANA – A registered sex offender convicted of sexual battery and failing to register, and who has a pending case in the Courts of Appeal for violating the County ordinance barring registered sex offenders from entering County parks, was sentenced for violating his probation. Hugo Godinez, 30, Santa Ana, was sentenced March 21, 2013, at an arraignment on probation violations. The defendant admitted to the violations and was sentenced to 197 days in jail by the Honorable Peter Wilson. Continue reading→

The SAPD will be ticketing drivers in April for texting and driving

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Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month

As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, the Santa Ana Police Department will be actively ticketing those texting or operating hand-held cell phones for the month of April. Drivers who break the law and place themselves and others in danger will be cited with no warnings. The current minimum ticket cost is $159, with subsequent tickets costing at least $279. In April 2012, over 57,000 tickets were written statewide for texting and hand-held cell use. There were nearly 450,000 convictions in 2012. Whether it’s a ticket or a crash, as the campaign theme states, “It’s Not Worth It!” Continue reading→

Santa Ana Cesar Chavez Celebration & Youth Leadership Conference set for 3/30

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Labor, Latinos, Santa Ana 2 Comments

SANTA ANA COUNCILMAN ROMAN REYNA AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEE JOSE SOLORIO INVITE PUBLIC TO CESAR CHAVEZ CELEBRATION AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Variety of family activities planned in honor of the farm worker labor leader

SANTA ANA – Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna and Community College Trustee Jose Solorio invite the public to the 13th Annual Cesar E. Chavez Celebration and Youth Leadership Conference on Saturday, March 30, 2013, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Santa Ana College amphitheatre located at 1530 W. 17th Street (at Bristol Street) in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Why did the SAPD kill Jason Erling Hallstrom and was it justified?

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana 24 Comments

Jason Erling Hallstrom and Travis Mock

Jason Erling Hallstrom, 41, a man who was wounded in an officer-involved shooting in Santa Ana on March 15,  died last Saturday, according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, as quoted in the L.A. Times.

Hallstrom had been charged with a felony count of unlawfully taking a vehicle and a misdemeanor count of resisting a peace officer, according to court records. He was due in court Monday.

Here is what happened, according to the O.C. Register: Continue reading→

Can Newsong bring new life to Santa Ana’s First Baptist Church?

Posted on by Posted in Andy Quient, Churches and Religion, Dave Gibbons, Entertainment, irvine, Koreans, Latinos, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Dave Gibbons at First Baptist of Santa Ana

William H. Spurgeon, the founder of the City of Santa Ana, purchased seventy-six acres of land from the Yorba heirs in 1869 and laid out what was to become the Orange County seat. With only six or eight homes in the place and about one hundred fifty souls, thirteen people organized First Baptist Church of Santa Ana on a Saturday in March of 1871, at the local school house.

Services were held in the school house until the first church was built in 1876. The cost was $4000 and it was located on four lots donated by Spurgeon at the corner of Main & Church Streets. The interior was unfinished for a number of years and financial problems were so severe during the first 10 -12 years, that the property was sold for taxes several times. At one point, members mortgaged their homes to pay off the church obligations and one member lost his home because of this. And Santa Ana developed, so did the church. As many members were from surrounding area, certain groups took their letters and established in neighboring cities. Continue reading→

New charter group splits from Santa Ana’s Edward B. Cole elementary school

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Editor’s Note: This is the third in our series of articles about Santa Ana’s public charter schools

Opening its doors in September, 2003, Edward B. Cole, Sr. Academy (EBC Academy), is a public charter elementary school located at 333 E. Walnut Street in the economically distressed Federal Empowerment Zone of Santa Ana, California. They are a K-5 charter school serving the educational needs of a community consisting predominately of non-English speaking, low income, and Latino families.

Their API (state test score) is 777, which is below the state’s minimum standard of 788.  Their score fell by 3 points from the year before. According to the O.C. Register’s 2013 O.C. Elementary Schools Report Card, their academic rank is 355 and they have a 24.5 to 1 student to teacher ratio.  Over 96% of their student body is Latino and that same figure is receiving free school meals. Continue reading→

Students at the Olive Crest NOVA charter school earn college credits

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NOVA Students

Editor’s Note: This is the second in our series of articles about charter schools in Santa Ana.

The Olive Crest NOVA charter school works in partnership with Olive Crest, Santa Ana Unified School District and Santa Ana College (SAC), which means that the Olive Crest Academy students receive both high school and college credits.  NOVA is one of 60 schools awarded by the US News and World Report to receive the 2010 Bronze Medal for the Best High Schools in California.

There are many exciting new additions in the NOVA instructional program for the 2012-2013 school year, including: Continue reading→

Pro gay marriage vigil to be held at the Reagan Courthouse on 3/26

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There will be a vigil at the Federal Courthouse during the oral arguments on the constitutionality of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), on Tuesday, March 26, at 6:30 pm.

On March 26th & 27, 2013 the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) will be listening to oral arguments on the constitutionality of DOMA, which states that marriage is between one man and one woman.  Many now feel that it is time to show the depth of equality and justice for all. Continue reading→

Full Moon Open Mic set for 3/26 at El Centro Cultural de Mexico

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El Centro Cultural de Mexico and the Orange County May Day Coalition are hosting a Full Moon Open Mic on Tuesday, March 26, from 8 pm to 11:30 pm, at 313 N. Birch Street, in Santa Ana.  Here are the event details:

ITZ HAPPENIN! Come out for another night of poetry, comedy, music, singing, dancing and much more! Every month is unique and uplifting and we hope to keep that vibe going. We attract some of the most talented people of our community! POSITIVE VIBRATIONS is the sensation after this full moon celebration! We celebrate life, love, creativity, and the ability to have community spaces for us to come together and share our talents and gifts, and inspire others to do the same. Everyone present creates and enhances the experience for everyone else so we hope you can join us and support the artist community! Continue reading→

Is it time to take our kids out of the SAUSD’s public schools?

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 5 Comments

SAUSD poor performing schools

Never mind the problems at Spurgeon Intermediate.  The situation at the SAUSD is much worse.  An inside soruce tells me that there was a meeting this week for parents of elementary schoolchildren. The district wanted to inform the parents that they will be getting rid of Honors classes.  Students will either have to be in AP classes or in standard classes that will throw everyone in one room, from those achieving at the elementary level to those who would normally be in Honors classes. And this is coming our way in middle school as well.

I have supported SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, since she arrived here in Santa Ana, however she seems to be perfectly willing to turn low income kids into guinea pigs for every whim in education that suits her own political and/or egotistical purposes. Continue reading→

SAUSD teachers turn to the state as kids run amok at Spurgeon Intermediate

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 22 Comments

Spurgeon Intermediate School

“Santa Ana Unified has beefed up staffing and hired private investigators to look into safety concerns at Spurgeon Intermediate, where teachers say teens and pre-teens are accosting adults, turning desks over and smoking marijuana in class. The problems have become so bad that 36 teachers and classified employees filed a “hostile work environment” complaint earlier this month,” according to the O.C. Register.

The worst part of this story is that the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) ignored this disaster.  One of the teachers even said that the school police asked that the teachers stop calling them! Continue reading→

Police identify those who stabbed an Irvine man to death in South Santa Ana

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Pablo Sanchez

Pablo Sanchez 2-19-95 (18 years old)

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Homicide Detectives identify three suspects in March 9th murder with Media and Community assistance.

Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Detectives requested Media and Public assistance in identifying two murder suspects on March 15, 2013. Homicide detectives were looking for assistance in identifying suspects wanted in connection with the March 9th 2013 murder. Since that request, Homicide Detectives have identified three suspects involved in the murder.

FATHER AND SON: 53 YEAR OLD RIGOBERTO RODRIGUEZ & 23 YEAR OLD MARIO ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ SAW THEMSELVES ON TV AND NOW ARE ON THE RUN Continue reading→

The SAUSD hires Stefanie Phillips to be their new Deputy Superintendent

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Dr. Stefanie Phillip

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deidra Powell
(714) 558-5555

New Deputy Superintendent – Stefanie Phillips, Ed.D.– Joins SAUSD

SANTA ANA, CA — March 20, 2013 – The Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education has recently appointed Stefanie Phillips, Ed.D., to the position of Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Chief Business Officer, for the Santa Ana Unified School District. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Phillips was Deputy Superintendent for the Clayton County School District in Jonesboro, Georgia, where she had direct oversight for the Academic, Human Resources, Operations and Finance Divisions. Continue reading→

California Disclose Act campaign kickoff set for 3/23 at the Delhi Center

Posted on by Posted in 2013 Elections, Elections, Entertainment, Jose Solorio, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Come to the Orange County campaign kickoff for SB 52, the California DISCLOSE Act! Join SB 52 supporters including Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, Community College Trustee and former Assemblymember Jose Solorio, Costa Mesa Councilmember Sandy Genis, and local activist leaders to kick off the local legislative campaign for the California DISCLOSE Act.

WHEN: March 23rd, 2013 12:00 PM through 2:00 PM
WHERE: The Delhi Community Center, located at 505 East Central Ave, in Santa Ana.

SB 52, the California DISCLOSE Act, would change the Big Money game and fight back against unlimited hidden spending on campaigns by letting voters know who REALLY is paying for political ads — on the ads themselves. Continue reading→